Production > Demo
Reliable LLM systems require architecture choices beyond prompts.
Patterns That Work
1. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Ground outputs in trusted business data and cite sources.
2. Guardrails + Validation
Constrain formats, validate outputs, and fail safely.
3. Tool Calling
Use deterministic tools for actions; reserve LLM for reasoning.
4. Human-in-the-Loop
Add approval for high-impact actions.
5. Observability by Default
Log prompts, responses, latency, and failure modes.
Anti-Patterns
- Shipping with no evaluation harness
- Ignoring hallucination impact in critical workflows
- Treating model upgrades as risk-free
Start with narrow scope, strict success criteria, and tight feedback loops.